Everywhere I Turn
by Darkwolf109
Summary: It's the final battle and Buffy reflects on her friendship with Willow and Xander when an old friend appears.


**Everywhere I Turn.**

She spun around and around, trying to find her friends amongst the mass of fighters. This was a bad idea. She'd always preferred to fight alone, but now the end was here… she missed her friends. She, Willow and Xander had been together from the start and no matter what had happened since, they should end together.

But her orders insured that wouldn't happen. She had them waiting for the survivors outside near a bus so they could leave the town before the end.

"Stupid." She muttered.

As she beheaded another uber-vamp she caught movement in her peripheral vision to the right and left. It didn't take long to work out who they were. The fiery red hair was a dead giveaway and the two would never abandon each other in a fight.

Just like they'd never abandon her.

"What took you so long?" she yelled over the battle.

"We wanted to grab a coffee first but the Pump seems to be shut down." Willow answered easily.

"We couldn't let you have all the fun." Xander shot with a grin.

'Yep, just like old times.' She thought in amusement.

She spun away from a sword and unconsciously dropped back to let Willow swing at the uber-vamp, she had a better shot. The three worked in perfect harmony. They covered each others blind spots easily, just as they always had.

A sudden scream pierced the air.

"KENNEDY!" Willow shrieked.

The redhead disappeared amongst the battle after recognizing her girlfriends cry.

"WILLOW!" she yelled after her friend.

But the redhead was gone. She spun her head this way and that but couldn't see her oldest friend anywhere.

"Xander!" she yelled.

"I'm on it! Don't worry!" he replied.

Then her last friend was gone.

'He has to help her first. Willow's far more important. They were friends first.' She thought.

But it didn't stop the cold of loneliness seeping in. She hated being alone.

She could see Faith fighting not far off but couldn't bring herself to call out. Instead she through herself into the fight with a new fury. She slashed anything that came close to her scythe but barely made a dint in the flow of incoming uber-vamps.

She noticed Spike nearby giving her the final signal.

"Slayers! Get out! Retreat!" she screamed.

The girls turned and ran as fast as they could, desperate to survive.

She turned to follow when she saw her. Tara Maclay stood not five feet away, watching her with a sad smile.

"What? But your dead?" she questioned in confusion.

"Yes. But I'm here as your friend to tell you not to run. There was never meant to be two Slayers let alone hundreds. I'm sorry Buffy, really I am, but you as the original Slayer needs to die for this change to occur. I'm so sorry." Tara explained.

Silver tears leaked from the dead witch's eyes. She just stared at her dearest friend in shock.

"Run! Get Out!" she screamed.

Turning back to the battle she stood her ground at the incoming demons.

'The final fight. I never thought this would be my end. I didn't expect to feel so empty. What will everyone think? That I killed myself? That I sacrificed myself for the grater good? Will they really care? Does it even matter anymore?' she asked herself.

Reflecting back on her life she realised that she'd had a good run, compared to most Slayers.

'I've lost a lot but I've gained so much in the process.' She thought.

"Is that why they sent you?" she asked the ghost that now stood next to her.

"Yes. In the end, I'm the one who let you be yourself first after your resurrection. The PTB's believe we have a connection, that you'd just _know_ it's me and not The First." Tara explained.

"Makes sense." She answered.

Swinging her scythe she beheaded another uber-vamp. She fought down the lines that kept coming towards her and fought for the others freedom.

"BUFFY!"

'What the…' she thought.

"Willow? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Hi to you to." A male voice called out.

"Xander? Both of you get out of here before your killed." She ordered.

"What about you?" Willow questioned.

"It's my time. Now leave!" she ordered.

"No! We may have lost some of what we once had but we're still best-friends. We live together, we die together." Willow stubbornly insisted.

The three moved in perfect sync as the fought the army of evil that came at them. Spike in the distance howled as the pendent around his neck grew in power and started to glow. Buffy watched the other two in her peripheral vision.

'Damn.' She thought.

"Fine! But do me a favour and get out before you die, your still needed." She yelled.

The other two looked like they might argue but the next wave of evil was strong and they started to tire.

"Fine. But try not to die either." Xander yelled at last.

'It's my time. I trust Tara.' She thought sadly.

The three friends continued to fight as they reflected on all their years together.

Suddenly she let out a scream as a burning pain cut through her chest from behind. Swinging the scythe blindly behind her she herd the distinct sound of beheading.

'NO, no, no, no, no!' she thought.

Even though she new it was coming, she still wasn't ready for the end.

"BUFFY!" came twin screams from her friends.

"Get out! Save the Potentials. You're my best-friends. Thank you." She panted.

It seemed the PTB's were finally being nice and giving her a quick and relatively painless death.

"NO! Buffy! Come on! Get up!" Xander yelled.

"Xander! Come on. There's nothing we can do! Xander! We have to leave!" Willow insisted, pulling her oldest friend away from their dying best-friend.

Buffy watched with a sense of loss for her friends. Then she noticed Tara coming towards her and she smiled. Even in death she wasn't alone.

"It's time Buffy. You're free at last. Come into the light with me, where you belong." Tara smiled softly.

"Damn that's cliché." Buffy ground out.

Tara laughed. Buffy cracked a smile.

"I'm really free?" she asked.

"Yes sweetie. You really are." Tara said softly.

Buffy aloud herself to be gently pulled away from the life she had built for herself, away from her family. Away from Xander and Willow, her best friends. They'd been together through so much. They'd grown in so many ways. No matter what had happened in the past, they were still best-friends. And they always will be.

Finished Today, 13 October 2008, 11:11:31 AM. Started Tuesday, 7 October 2008, 10:28:31 AM.


End file.
